Tuesday, January 17, 2012

I really liked the inspiration sample at CASE study challenges:
Isn't this fab? I love the bright colors underneath!

So, I wanted to try a sample with negative die cutting myself. Ran into problems - this is the biggest one.

See the tiny holes? They're the dots that let you line up the dies and stamps (which I'm not using.) I just couldn't come up with anything that would keep the guide dots from cutting. Grrrr.

Here's my solution:

I covered them with random itty-bitty, glittery hearts. Ups the cute factor a bit, but really screws up the balance, knowwhutimean? My 12-year old thinks it's great, so that makes me happy, but as far as challenges go, this one's a fail.

Still, it was fun to try. :)

Recipe:

Dies - Verve

Papers - Echo Park

Hearts - K & Co.

Thanks for stopping by. Please come again soon. I'll do better, I promise.

Monday, January 16, 2012

... if it ain't got that bling! Which is difficult when doing cards for sons, husbands, etc. That's where I am now. How to give a card enough oomph without it going girly? That's a bit of a challenge. Especially since Valentine's is, basically, girly.

So, finding this sketch gave me a case of the happies. I think it's just what I needed to turn out a masculine-enough card that's still all about V-Day. I used some red Stickles to bling up the 'flower'.

*Sigh* my one and only personal (as opposed to school) child turns 13 in about three weeks. While I certainly don't want him to be living here when he's 40, I must say that I'm getting a little weirded out by the fact that he'll only be around full-time a few more years. Have y'all seen the Disney commercial with the families and the teenage kids? One of the lines is "There are only so many mountains left to climb together." Aaaack! Yeah, that's pushing the buttons, Walt. Not cool.

So, here's his birthday card. It's got to be manly enough for him, but still kid-ish enough that I can stand it:

It's also for the challenges at:The ABC Challenge - H is for Happy Birthday. My birthday wish for him is to continue to dream big. He's set a goal to earn a ROTC scholarship in the hopes of engineering airplanes and is already taking steps toward it. Makes the sky a good theme, even if hot air balloons don't blow stuff up.Papertake Weekly - Die Cute Special. The big hot air balloon has a die that goes with the stamp. (I had to fussy-cut the little one.) Awesome poofy clouds are also teeny-tiny dies.Bee Crafty Downloads - Celebratory with balloons. I think I'm celebrating. Okay, he is. Me, not so much.
Finally, this is my attempt for this week's Viva la Verve sketch challenge at Splitcoasters.

Saturday, January 14, 2012

So, it's only January, and already I'm behind on the Viva La Verve sketches at Splitcoast. Yes, that means it took me exactly one week to fail. Stupid working for a living! :)

So, this weekend I'm catching up. This one's ready for a friend's birthday on Feb. 7, which means I still need to knock out a birthday for my turning-into-a-teen son, Valentines, and an anniversary. Yup. Plate's full. I love having pretty cards to give, but have you noticed that after you start giving these, if you do a store-bought one for someone, they wonder what's wrong? Better kick it up a notch!

Recipe:
All images and die cuts are Verve. I dressed up the flowers a little with some Diamond Stickles. PP is Echo Park, most from Yours Truly, though the music's from Victoria Garden.

While I was putting this together, I began to wonder, "Exactly how many zowie-patterned papers can one use before making herself carsick?" Ha! Pattern-on-pattern can be a little tricky. I'm still thinking the pink sprigs might be a bit much.

Thank you for taking the time to stop by today. I genuinely appreciate it. Please come again soon! In the meantime, I'll be face-down in a pile of patterned paper!

Monday, January 2, 2012

Whipped up a quickie last night. My friend, Kim, has begun a quest to improve working conditions for the teachers in our area. Last week, she arranged a meeting with a state representative for several of us, and is trying to make a difference. I'm proud of her.

About the Designer

I'm a fourth grade teacher, mom, and nerdy papercrafter. Twenty years into a teaching career, I'm an engaging teacher, but I want to create an engaging, minds-on, relevant classroom.
I don't do TPT because I believe in teamwork and sharing. The freebies posted here are for classroom use only and can be changed for that purpose. They may not be sold.

Paris

All content, including text, photographs, and samples are copyright 2012 by Elizabeth Clarke. They are shared here for your personal, non-commercial use. Any other use requires my written permission. Thank you